Mystery—Unexplained—Awesome

By DiAne Gates –

“As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking” (NAS Ezekiel 1:28).

Our Precept Bible group began our Fall Bible study in the Book of Ezekiel. I knew the book was about visions, but had never studied it. The first day’s homework directed us to read Chapter One. That last verse stopped me cold and sent my mind ripping back through the years—

—to a rainy Sunday afternoon, eight years ago when my husband and I were returning from Kansas City with our four-year-old grandson, Noah. Papa drove the car, while Noah and I rode in the backseat and played games and watched the rain splatter on the windshield.

Late in the afternoon, we came into Denton, Texas, on I35 South. It had not rained in weeks. The roads were slick, traffic heavy, and driving difficult.

The sky had cleared in the east and God had painted a spectacular rainbow against the darkness of the passing storm. Noah saw it and squealed in delight. I told him about his biblical namesake.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flashing red taillights of the cars just ahead. Papa barked, “Sit back. Brace Noah. Relax.”

“What?”

I jerked my neck to glance out the back window. An eighteen-wheeler barreled toward us. Another peek forward and I saw the cars in front of us. Stopped. The truck would never be able to stop in that short distance. Not on these roads.

“Oh, Lord, please.” I gasped and smashed my body against the back of the seat and threw my left arm over Noah.

An arc of brilliant color appeared overhead and a luminous golden light shimmered all around us and reflected like a thousand tiny stars over the hood of our car. The power of stillness surrounded us within and without. Utter silence. Peaceful silence. Entrancing silence.

Then it was gone.

How long had it lasted? Minutes? Seconds? I don’t know.

Cars in front of us had stopped. The truck in back of us stopped a few feet from our back bumper. And we stopped. No squealing brakes, no sliding tires, no honking horns. Not a sound.

I sat, unable to speak. Papa let out a sigh and put the car in motion as the cars in front of us moved too. Neither Noah, Papa, nor I said a word for a few minutes. Then I leaned forward and whispered, “Honey, what did you see back there? What happened?”
Papa wiped his forehead and ran his hand down the back of his neck. He turned and “No. Please. Tell me.”

He stammered, “I…it looked like…we were in the middle of a rainbow and the light…was unreal. Golden. Sparkling. So quiet and peaceful.”

Our eyes locked in the rear-view mirror and I whispered, “Me too.”

Papa shrugged his shoulders. “Honey, that back there…,” his head tilted backward, “…was a God thing.”

I turned to Noah. His precious head slumped against the shoulder of his car seat. Sound asleep.

We rode another few miles pondering all that had transpired. Each of us knew a power greater than anything we had ever experienced or known had intervened in our lives. I Eight years later there is still a catch in my throat, and tears in my eyes when my mind plays that scene over again.

And that light—I’m at a loss to describe, paint or interpret it in any way except glorious.

Someway, somehow, the hand of God miraculously spared us that stormy afternoon outside of Denton, Texas. And He allowed us a glimpse into the world around us that we can’t see. Yet.

And wherever you are today, dear reader, God loves you too. And He has a plan for your life. Believe Him. Love Him. Because He alone is faithful.

Faith That Works

By Warren Mueller –

The role of faith and works in salvation is a topic that has been, and continues to be, debated among Christians.

Clearly, faith and good works are related and without works faith is dead or useless (James 2:20 NIV). There are a number of paradoxes in the Bible associated with faith and works that would disappear if Christians would realize that it is who they are that should drive what they do. In other words, “be to do” not “do to be.”

Our human thinking and culture tells us we need to work hard to gain skills and knowledge to be successful and attain a better way of life. This is “do to be” thinking. I believe this thinking has pervaded Christianity such that the motivation to do good works, receive the sacraments, achieve status and rank by becoming a priest, deacon, elder, etc. is based on the desire to accumulate spiritual rewards and a better place in heaven. Another problem is that some Christian denominations teach that works are an essential part of salvation. In other words, the grace needed to reach heaven is imparted through the sacraments of the church which again is “do to be” thinking.

So what is “be to do” Christian thinking?

The basis for this thinking rests on a spiritual birth, through faith in Jesus Christ as personal savior (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:23 NIV). Jesus said one must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3 NIV). The death of Jesus on the cross provides payment for the penalty of the sins of mankind. This is a legal transaction that enables those who accept this by faith to become children of God indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:26; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 John 3:24; Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV).

This spiritual birth is like the natural one in that growth in knowledge of the new identity of self, the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit and the works that result are progressive. From this theological view, good works are a result of changes that God has produced inside me and not changes that I try to achieve by doing something. Thus, the meaning of Jesus in saying that in order to gain life you must lose it means that you must be born again or changed spiritually through faith in Jesus. When this happens, there is a fundamental change in self-identity in which a person’s thinking shifts from “me” to “we” as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit. In my case, I began to live for Jesus and not just for myself so, in this sense, I have lost my life but found new life and joy in serving Jesus.

Likewise, faith without works is dead means there can be no genuine change within (i.e. spiritual birth in Jesus) without changes in outward actions. The outward actions or good works result from the reality of spiritual changes within and not visa-versa. Thus, the greatest in the kingdom of God are servants or slaves who, like Jesus, follow the will of God. What they do is a result of what God has already done within them. Good works becomes an expression of love, gratitude and obedience that desires to give God joy. The result of such good works is a deeper experience of the presence of God within.

I am afraid too many Christian denominations stress works because they are led by human understanding and a desire to self-improve or control others rather than as a result of being fundamentally changed by a spiritual birth.

Sharing the Gift

By Cheri Cowell –

My husband loves to shake the boxes under the Christmas tree and try to guess what they are. It is a lot of fun when he is so far off base. I feel as if I’ve done my duty when I can trick him into thinking about one thing when I’ve actually bought him something else.

It is not much fun, however, when he guesses correctly. What is the fun of giving a surprise gift if there is no surprise? One year when Randy was a little boy, he guessed his gift correctly and his brother picked up the gift and walked out the front door with it. “What are you doing?” he asked in bewilderment. “You guessed it so I’m taking it back,” was the reply.

Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about God returning His gift. Yes, we already know what it is, but it doesn’t change for us the excitement that builds knowing we are getting the best Christmas gift we could ever receive.

The Jewish people should not have been surprised when they finally received this gift. Some, like Mary, recognized it right away. Mary knew the Scriptures, and had probably prayed each night for the Messiah to come and save them from their oppression. Little did she know that she would play such an important role in the giving of this gift to the world. We know the gift that is coming, and we, as well, have a role to play in sharing this gift with the world.

So shake some packages, get excited. The greatest gift is ready to be shared.

PRAYER: I praise You God for the planning that went into the giving of this precious gift. Thank You for the hundreds and thousands of people who played a role in passing this gift down through the ages so I might receive it. Thank You for trusting me to be a part in sharing this great gift with others.

“Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:13-14 NIV).

Let’s Bow and Worship

By Carin LeRoy –

During the Christmas season I do the traditional decorating, trimming the tree, baking all sorts of goodies, shop for gifts and spend too much. I also display a manger scene. When my husband and I were first married his aunt gave us a tiny manger with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Years later, I purchased a larger ceramic set which included three wise men, shepherd, barn animals and camels. I place that set out in a prominent place for others to see. I love to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and want my family to remember, too. It’s easy to get distracted by the stress and commercialism of the month and lose sight of what we’re celebrating.

Since most mangers include wise men worshipping Jesus, we assume that they arrived at the time of Jesus’ birth. However there is evidence in scripture that they did not arrive until much later when Jesus was an older infant or toddler. Matthew 2:11 refers to them coming to a house and seeing a child. They traveled from a foreign country to find him—possibly hundreds of miles—so the journey was hard.

When I consider the long and difficult trip the wise men took to see Jesus and their determination to find him, I believe it was at great personal cost and sacrifice. Months of wandering through desert, storms, crossing rivers and unfamiliar territory, they possibly had enemies and wild animals trying to attack them. I’m sure they were exhausted. Yet they carried on until they “saw the child with his mother Mary.”

What did they do once they found Him? They bowed down and worshipped Him. They gave him gifts of great cost—gold, frankincense and myrrh. When we truly seek Jesus, we will find Him. He is waiting for us to discover who He is so we can have an intimate loving relationship with Him. The Magi discovered that day the real person of Christ, the son of the living God. When they returned to their country, they left Him and went home another way—signifying a changed life. They were never the same. It was worth the long arduous journey.

Let’s press ahead in our walk with Jesus and seek to know Him better. Let’s let the Holy Spirit create a deeper longing in our life for Him. Are we willing to sacrifice as the Magi did so that we might catch a glimpse of just how wondrous Jesus really is? As we celebrate this season, let’s remember to take time to bow and worship Him for who He is—Savior and King.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for sending Your son, Jesus, to earth. Give me a heart that seeks You and desires to worship You. Thank You that You alone are Savior and King.

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh,” (Matthew 2: 10, 11 NIV).

Hiding the “Messy Stuff”

By Dawn Wilson –

Things are often not what they seem. Last Christmas, when I was crazy busy with writing, speaking, parties, and in between church and ministry events, I couldn’t keep up with my housework. I was frustrated no end! So I took some good advice from a friend.

I piled all the “messy stuff”—stacks of magazines, boxes of things to be sorted, bags of clothes I was filling for the Salvation Army—under a big colorful blanket in the corner of my living room. Then I pinned a sign on the blanket that read, “No peeking. Christmas wrapping in progress.”

I threw some stuffed shopping bags and bright wrapping paper under the blanket near the front of the pile for good effect (just in case someone did peak) and breathed a huge sigh of relief. No one would ever know.

The only problem is, my dog couldn’t read. With maddening timing, right in front of my unexpected company, dear Roscoe decided to pull the blanket across the living room. All my “messy stuff” was suddenly exposed.

In the same way, I’ve learned that the messy stuff in my heart isn’t securely under wraps either. Just when I think no one will find out about my sneaky habits—I’m a declared chocoholic; need I say more?—or other sin issues I think I’ve covered well, something happens and there it is, out in the open for all to see. And sometimes it’s ugly, stinky stuff.

It’s silly to think that no one knows. God sees everything. God knows everything. “‘Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24, ESV). There is nowhere we can run from His presence or hide our wayward, wicked plans (Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 29:15; Jeremiah 16:17).

God probably shakes His head at my silly attempts to hide my sins. “Oh my dear daughter,” He likely says, “You’re not kidding me. Now let’s quit this foolishness and take care of this right now.” He doesn’t condemn me—He always sees me in Christ—but neither does He let me remain in my sins. He calls me to agree with Him and commit to change. And sometimes, when I get stubborn, He deals with me to correct not only my original sin problem but also my foolish rebellion, “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves” (Hebrews 12:6, ESV).

Will I use the Christmas blanket again? Probably. It’s just such a great idea! But I’ll make sure Roscoe stays outside when company comes.

And I certainly don’t want to hide my “messy stuff” from my Creator. He can see through blankets, doors, buildings, everything, right into my heart. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

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